CPT code 37274: Atherectomy2026 Medicare rate & RVUs in Virginia
Reports complex endovascular atherectomy in each additional femoral or popliteal artery vessel treated after the primary revascularization procedure.
Medicare pays $2,436.17–$2,903.88 for 37274 in the office in Virginia, from Virginia to Dc + Md/Va Suburbs. Which amount applies depends on the service address.
Medicare allowed amount for participating (non-QP) physicians, before deductible, coinsurance and claim adjustments. Not a patient’s bill or a hospital charge.
On this page 9 sections
What 37274 covers
This add-on code covers catheter-based atherectomy to remove obstructive plaque in an additional femoral or popliteal artery vessel during endovascular revascularization. Vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists, and interventional cardiologists may perform the procedure in a hospital catheterization lab or an outpatient angiography suite. Angioplasty in the treated vessel is included when performed; this code describes atherectomy without the stent-and-atherectomy combination represented by other codes in the family.
Report it for each qualifying additional vessel after the primary procedure, selecting the complex-lesion pathway based on the documented lesion and the applicable CPT criteria. The procedure note should identify the treated vessels, describe the lesion characteristics supporting complex classification, and document atherectomy in each additional vessel. CMS classifies this as an add-on code: it must be billed with a primary procedure and is paid within that procedure’s global period. For bilateral procedures reported with modifier 50, CMS pays at 150%.
This summary was written with AI assistance from CMS physician fee schedule data and checked against the CMS billing rules shown here. Rates on this page come directly from CMS files.
Where 37274 pays more and less in Virginia
| Payment locality | Office | Facility |
|---|---|---|
| Dc + Md/Va Suburbs | $2,903.88 | $268.86 |
| Virginia | $2,436.17 | $237.33 |
How the 37274 rate is calculated
Each of 37274’s three RVUs is multiplied by a geographic index (GPCI) for the payment locality, added up, and multiplied by the conversion factor. Drag the indexes or enter a ZIP to see what moves the rate.
How the rate is built · 37274
RVUs × geographic indexes × conversion factor
Work5.50
5.50 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Practice expense67.72
67.72 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Malpractice1.23
1.23 RVUs× 1.000 GPCI
Adjusted RVUs
74.4500
Conversion factor
$33.4009
Medicare rate
$2,486.70
Every GPCI starts at 1.000, the national rate. Enter a ZIP or drag a slider.
Payment rules and modifiers for 37274
The CMS indicators that decide how 37274 is paid alongside other services.
CMS payment indicators · 37274
Atherectomy
| Rule | CMS value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Global period | ZZZ | Add-on code: falls within the primary procedure’s global period. |
| Multiple procedures | 0 | No multiple-procedure reduction. |
| Bilateral (modifier 50) | 1 | Bilateral with modifier 50 pays 150% of the fee schedule amount. |
| Assistant at surgery (80/81/82/AS) | 0 | Not paid without supporting documentation. |
| Co-surgeons (62) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Team surgery (66) | 0 | Not permitted. |
| Professional/technical | 0 | Physician service: no professional/technical split. |
What modifiers do to the payment
Modifier 50 · payment effect
With and without the modifier
37274 without 50 · national office
$2,486.70
Atherectomy
37274-50 · Bilateral: 150%
$3,730.05
Both sides on one line with modifier 50 are paid at 150% of the fee schedule amount (subject to multiple-procedure rules with other procedures).
37274 compared with similar codes
Compare codes · National
4 codes, side by side
How to choose
- 37273Peripheral atherectomy
- 37273 reports the first vessel treated with complex atherectomy; 37274 reports each qualifying additional vessel.
- 37272Vessel atherectomy
- Both describe atherectomy in an additional vessel, but 37272 is for the straightforward-lesion pathway and 37274 for the complex-lesion pathway.
- 37278Stent and atherectomy
- Use 37278 for complex treatment of an additional vessel when atherectomy is combined with stent placement; 37274 describes atherectomy without that combination.
37274 billing questions
When should this code be used instead of 37273?
Use 37273 for the first vessel treated under the complex atherectomy pathway. Use 37274 for each qualifying additional vessel.
Can this code be billed by itself?
No. It is an add-on code and must be reported with a primary procedure for the initial treated vessel.
Is angioplasty separately reported in the same vessel?
Angioplasty performed in the vessel treated with atherectomy is included in this service. The procedure record should distinguish treatment in each vessel.
What documentation supports the complex pathway?
Document the target vessels, the lesion characteristics supporting the complex classification, and the atherectomy performed in each additional vessel.
How is bilateral treatment handled?
For a bilateral procedure reported with modifier 50, CMS applies its 150% payment rule. The code remains an add-on to the primary procedure.
Where these rates come from
FeeBase calculates base physician payments from CMS work, practice-expense and malpractice RVUs, adjusted by each locality’s geographic indexes and the conversion factor. Services without a published rate are labeled, never given a made-up amount. Amounts are Medicare allowed amounts before claim adjustments: not a patient’s bill or a commercial rate.
CMS RVU26D · effective Oct 1, 2026 through the day before Jan 1, 2027
Show the CMS file lines behind this rate
Fee sheets
Put 37274 and the rest of your codes on one sheet
Build a fee sheet from your own code list at your locality, put your payer contracts beside Medicare, and see what changed each quarter.
Build my fee sheetOr price your code list free →